


Baby, why do you have to shine so bright?

by Lilacpotter



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Angst, But Even loves him, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Isak’s grumpy, Jealousy, Love, M/M, Pining, Romance, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, as usual, footballer!isak
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilacpotter/pseuds/Lilacpotter
Summary: Even knew he was radiant, and he was used to people always wanting to be around him, enchanted by his captivating words and glowing smiles, as if he was the tantalising sun.But then one day, he comes across someone who shines much brighter than the sun itself in Even’s eyes.***It has been three months since he’s back in Oslo, back from America after five long years, after a dreadful episode that left him feeling shattered.Back here in Oslo, Even has everything he needs.But this boy—Isak Valtersen— sparks in him an entirely new feeling of want, and no matter how hard Even tries to ignore his temptation towards him, he just can’t seem to resist.
Relationships: Eva Kviig Mohn/Vilde Lien Hellerud, Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen, Even Bech Næsheim/Sonja (SKAM), William Magnusson/Noora Amalie Sætre, Yousef Acar/Sana Bakkoush
Comments: 32
Kudos: 72





	1. Falling for his fury

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooo everyone, this is officially my first work in this fandom! I kind of always wanted to write an Evak fic, and it’s finally happening now. 
> 
> If there are any mistakes please point them out in the comments. 
> 
> Hope you’ll enjoy!

Even’s mom always told him that he was like honey, like flower’s nectar, bright and golden on the outside, really sweet in the inside, and _always_ attracting various bees, butterflies, and birds towards him by using his charms.Being charming wasn’t something he had acquired while growing up, it came to him naturally. People gravitated towards him like as if they were under a spell, always basking in the happiness that he radiated off so much.

It used to make him joyous, to share his happiness with others, it made him feel elated like a light feather on a blissful sunny day, flying away while giving soft touches to everyone it met on its way.

But of course, he had his dark times too. The nectar in the flowers had to empty at some point of time. It took time to refill again. His dark periods were just as intense as his joyful ones, sometimes even more so.

But Even felt how unfair it was that people loved him when he was being radiant, charming, and his usual carefree self, but when he crashed hard—falling deeper into the jaws of loneliness and hopelessness that was depression—they thought he was somehow being a dark, cold and somber shade in their bright, glowing lives, and avoided him at all costs.

He could hear them talking about how he was sick from the inside. Bipolar, mentally ill, ‘ _Crazy_ ’ in their cruel words.

So he learned to let them go from his life, like the petals falling out of a flower. For better or for worse. But sometimes it was not just the people he had to let go, sometimes he even had to give up some places too.

It has been more than three months since he arrived at Oslo, having let go of America where he had a major episode, so major that he had gone to an extent of organising a ruthless rally against all the evil in the world. It didn’t end well, of course.

It was the start of August in Oslo right now, peak summertime with the sun hanging high in sky mightily amidst the pearl white clouds. Sunshine danced on the pavements in the late noons as people walked by, some with black sunglasses on, some with pretty looking umbrellas towering over their heads.

Even looked back at his opened up forest green drawstring backpack which was loaded up with books that he’d be taking tomorrow to his classes. It was the start of Uni, he’d been waiting for more than month for this, nervously so.

Mikael and the boys had told him not to stress out; he was joining them back after five years after all, they all seemed too excited to understand his nervousness anyway.

Sonja, on the other hand, had been watching out for him these last few days, as if he would explode in anxiety any given time. It irritated him slightly, he had never been irritated by her before.

They’d been dating for three months now, spending almost every possible moment together, exploring each other’s lives like as if they were in a forest, or an ocean, swimming around and finding new for every three feet. And despite the lack of initial spark that he always believed would happen when you fall in love at first sight, Even still pursued. For all he knew, they could end being soulmates.

In the recent days though, an unexplainable tension had slowly shaped into form during their hangouts, turning bigger for every once in a while. Either because Even slightly regretted for having telling Sonja that he was bipolar—“Is it an episode? Are you tensed because of that, Even?”, or because he was just nervous from the starting date of Uni edging closer and closer every minute, like a cloud looming closer to the sun.

“Ev!” Came Mikael’s buoyant voice, bouncing through the thin, doodles-taped walls of Even’s tiny, airy room, interrupting his thoughts successfully.

“Come in” Even shouted, but his best friend barely cared about permission, already breaking in and pulling him out by his shoulders urgently.

“You’ve literally spent half a day locked up in your room, Even. Your mom’s worried too.” Mikael complained, his dark, floppy hair falling into his eyes as he climbed down the steps, Even following reluctantly.

He chuckled at his friend’s hurry. It didn’t matter if the world was ending, his friends could make him smile in a split second as if it was second nature to them. “The boys are here too, in the garden. We were thinking of spending some time at the beach this evening. What do you think? Like some sort of refreshment before the Uni started.”

The faint smell of fried eggs twitching both of their noses in hunger as they passed by the kitchen where Even’s mom was.

“You can’t say no.” Mikael added as an after thought, promptly heading towards the garden where his friends were bantering loudly in a corner in the shade, laying on several cedar lawn chairs, away from the scalding sunlight.

“You mean, I don’t have a choice except to come to along with you guys.” Even said in amusement, his eyes crinkling as he laughed when Mikael nodded solemnly.

The boys erupted out in greetings when they reached them, giving a series of slaps and shoves to their shoulders, before settling into a comfortable topic that everyone could share their views on: girls.

They started arguing if Mutta really had an actual game or was he just a desperate dude who followed girls around like a lovesick puppy—“fuck you, everyone, I have game!”—, then debating about some of the first year girls they knew who were going to start uni for the first time tomorrow, just like Even.

Even leaned against a tree, drowning in its shade, his back touching the rough, wrinkly, brown bark, as he joined his friends in their debates and squabbles, joking and laughing along like as if they were back to being careless thirteen year olds.

The garden shivered in a light breeze—like as if it were a real human-, the sky darkened up gradually as the sun reduced its intensity, sinking down like a broken ship amidst the clouds, a faint sound of children’s laughter echoed through the lawns, and by now the boys had moved on to the topic of Julia, a really gorgeous girl, and equally popular at Uni.

She was also the daughter of a rich businessman. And she was Sonja’s best friend—they were the type of best friends who told each other every single thing, trusted each other more than they trusted their own parents or lovers or their own lives—

“ I heard someone say that Julia was coming to the beach today,” Adam interrupted, turning his gaze towards Even expectantly. The others did the same, turning their heads comically. “The same one that we’re going to.”

And Julia was also Even’s _ex_.

They’d dated five years back while Even was still in Oslo, still undiagnosed with bipolar. They were barely sixteen, silly and stupid, and fell for each other just by their outer selves. Time flew by, and Julia realised after digging deeper, that beneath all the handsome, intimidating, and strong features of Even’s personality that she’d fallen for, he was just a charming, ridiculous, hopeless romantic who wished for every part of his life to be directed out like a movie. She hated it.

And Even, after barely five months into their relationship, saw true colours of Julia shine as she started being more pompous, self-righteous and looking down on people she thought wasn’t upto her status.

They broke up before Even went to America, and he had forgotten about her, _until now_.

“Boys, you know me and her are done.” He sighed. “It doesn’t matter if she came to the beach or attended the same Uni as me. Our fling was years ago, both of us barely even remember it.”

The first part was true, the last part wasn’t.

Even remembered everything, he really was a romantic. Despite how terribly it ended, he just loved the way it all started, all the good memories he’d had in the beginning.

He truly believed that a true and best relationship would be when the good and bitter memories were scattered around randomly throughout the relationship. The beginning not just reserved for the great ones, and the ending not just for the sad, heart breaking ones. He had always longed to experience that.

  
“You sure?” Mikael asked sceptically, his brown eyes on Even. “The last time you both spoke, she left you feeling really uncomfortable, Even. You barely looked into her eyes again. We don’t want that to happen.”

Even pursed his lips, sighing. “You know how she is. All arrogant and smug and...” he waved his hands around in suggestion. The boys just looked back at him blankly; Even groaned aloud, they were big fans of Julia (except Mikael, who for some reason detested her, and Yousef, who would give up his world for Sana, Elias’s younger sister), and of course, were blind to her personality, and only fell for her looks. Just like he had in the past, a voice in his head supplied conveniently.

He had met Julia again after all these years in the same party that he’d met Sonja. She’d approached him first, twirling her long, dark hair; her amber eyes resembling those of two balls of fire beneath the flashy lights of the party. It was awkward at first, when Even came to realise that he had hooked up with his ex’s best friend, but Julia barely seemed to care about that, assuring him that she’d actually forgotten she’d once dated him. Even couldn’t be much more grateful for that, though his heart clenched just a tiny bit that she didn’t value their relationship even one bit.

She had grown way taller, almost reaching Even’s nose. Her hips were wider, her waist slimmer, and her face more defined; she’d grown more gorgeous. He could see many boys’ longing eyes on her at the party, as if she was a goddess they were waiting to get to know; no wonder she was popular.

She’d looked drunk on attention, and Even wasn’t really much surprised; she’d always been like that, feeding on others praises about her. Looking around, he’d wondered how many of these boys she’d dated once upon a time, or hooked up; because most of them were looking at him in such pure jealousy that Even had to excuse himself from her and the party.

Even had sworn to stay away from Sonja after that despite Julia’s assuring words, avoiding her lingering gaze unwillingly whenever they crossed their paths. Sonja stopped talking to him too on noticing that, both of them acting like two equal poles of magnet that avoided each other at all costs. But all of that lasted only for a week, and they were back together again, surrendering to each other’s longing hearts and bodies.

Apparently Sonja used to have a crush on him way back when he had been with Julia, and she’d only admitted that to her best friend after they’d broken up. Even felt flattered hearing that, and upset that he hadn’t noticed her back then.

“I’m just over it, guys.” Even affirmed, looking into his friends’ sceptical eyes and nodding nonchalantly. “And besides, I’m with Sonja now.” He added lastly, to make some effect.

The boys looked around each other, small, meaningful glances as if they were conversing with each other whether to believe Even or not.

They finally hummed in agreement to his relief after a minute or so. Even heard Adam mutter something about him banging two of the hottest girls in Uio. He shook his head, chuckling.

“Anywayyy,” Mikael said, tapping his tan fingers on the brown hued wood of his armrest. “It would be a miracle if she was interested in a giraffe for a boyfriend, Even— Ow. _Stop poking me!_ ”

Even continued poking him, laughing, feeling as light as the wind around them. “Fuck you, I’m no giraffe!”

“Yeah, apparently she’s after that fresh out of Nissen boy who’s attending the uni from tomorrow?” Adam said, swiftly ignoring them and looking around if anyone knew the boy’s name. “The footballer boy?”

  
“Footballer?” Even asked curiously.

Elias nodded. “Yeah, he plays for the Oslo’s Vikings team. It’s new, formed just four years back, but it’s growing rapidly though. The team’s solid. I heard that boy’s gonna be captain this year, or maybe next. His name’s Walterson or something.”

The boys hummed around in agreement.

“Valtersen?” Yousef asked all of a sudden, talking for the first time, jerking his head up from where he was scrolling through his phone. “Isak Valtersen?”

Elias jumped up. “Yess, that’s his name!” He announced, finally putting a name to the mystery boy, but Even narrowed his eyes at Yousef curiously.

  
“How do you know him, Yousef?”

“He is Sana’s best friend.” Yousef shrugged. He was almost slumping in his chair, his legs up and dangling off the edge, his black snapback turned backwards on top of his long dark fringes. “They are both in the same year.”

There was a split second of silence until,

“Sana’s _best friend_?!” All the boys chorused in unison, incredulously.

“If he’s Sana’s best friend, then he’s definitely smart, guys.” Elias affirmed, shaking his shaved head in disbelief. “Believe me, I know my sister. She doesn’t just accept someone as her _best friend_.”

Even could see a blush rising up Yousef’s cheeks; he almost looked smug at Sana’s praises. Catching Yousef’s eye, he raised an eyebrow suggestively, rolling his eyes in fondness when Yousef blushed deeper. Even couldn’t wait for the day Yousef and Sana actually got together.

“ _Wow_ ” Adam sighed out loud, leaning back and dropping his head to a side. “Plays football, and is apparently very smart too.”

It was silent for a while around them, each one of them lost in their own minds as a distant melody in some home played out.

Even wondered about who this boy was that Julia was after. If she’d given up all the hundreds of boys who were so stupidly in love with her for that one footballer boy, then he must be really special.

But who knows, he could turn out to be a boastful, arrogant person just like Julia herself. Or some weak, lovesick boy that she used around like a toy.

Even felt bad for the boy though he had no idea who he was; his heart clenching in honest sympathy. Whoever he was, was most probably going to fall for Julia’s akin interest in him, and her sinful looks. Even only hoped she wouldn’t leave him heartbroken.

*************

The cafeteria was bustling with students and their noisy chatter on the first day. Even was once again surrounded by the boys around a table, in one corner where they could rant loudly.

The large, double hung window beside them was open, it’s wide mouth letting in all the warm air from outside, making them feel at home as they munched on their sandwiches.

Even’s classes had gone well despite his initial nervousness, and somehow he enjoyed even the most boring, nap-worthy ones.

People had been staring at him since morning, as expected, but only a few so. Many had already seen him around the parties during these past three months, and they greeted him like as if they were old friends.

A few minutes into the break, when Even and the boys were deep in conversation about William Faulkner’s ‘The sound and the fury’—“Is there any particular order we should read the chapters?” “It doesn’t make any sense, can’t believe we’re supposed to read that to complete our project.” “It will if you read patiently, Mutta, and then reread everything again” “Of course it will for you, Even. Everything’s possible for you.”— Sonja entered the room with Julia sauntering by her side snazzily—immediately attracting all the attention towards her—a few more girls followed them. It was eerie how similar or sibling-like Sonja and Julia looked walking side-by-side, with their eyebrows relaxed, noses up in the air, lips dipped in seducing red and their hair sleek and shiny. Two smug and satisfied smiles stretched on their faces.

Even after three months, Even still couldn’t get used to this. Sonja along with her friends just made her look a bit more like Julia, and he wasn’t a fan of that. Her demeanour changed slightly and she looked haughtier. But they were best friends after all, they were bound to share at least some of the traits. He still had to get used to that.

The dark blue eyes of Sonja’s met Even’s from across the room and she waved at him happily; she and her friends then made a beeline for the table next to theirs; Julia raising an eyebrow in greeting at him as she slid into her seat smoothly.

Before Even could get out a word of greeting though, Sonja had herself around Even’s neck, pecking him deeply on the lips before pulling back.

“Hey” she said softly, bringing her palm to brush Even’s hair away. Even could taste the slight greasy remains of her lipstick on his tongue as he licked off his lips.

“How did your first day go?” She asked again, now gazing deeply into his pupils, studying. Even might’ve loved her studying gaze during the first few weeks of their relationship, but by now it had started to leave him feeling guilty, as if he’d done something he shouldn’t have; like a child stealing candy.

He nodded, “Hmm, it was good. How was yours?”

Sonja was still standing, her arms still circled around Even’s neck as he gazed up at her. He loved the proximity.

“Good. Missed you though” she mumbled, touching his forehead with hers. Even’s gaze dropped down to her off-white crop top that she was wearing, the dark outline of her bra slightly visible. A pair of blue high waist jeans hung around her stomach, tightly hugging her legs. She looked stunning.

“Me too”

They’d been saying this to each other a lot lately, more often than needed. Sometimes the ‘Miss you’s’ came out so effortlessly out of their mouths that it barely seemed to contain meaning anymore. It just reminded Even that they were spending far lesser time than they used to before.

Sonja smiled down at him fondly, a light hint of pity in her features as if she thought Even missing her was something to be expected. It made Even clench his jaw silently. With another brief peck on his plush lips, Sonja retuned back to her table next to theirs, which, Even noticed now, was way closer than the rest were.

The boys meanwhile were giving susceptible glances towards the first year girls and then switching back to discussing the project work. Even joined them, resuming eating his sandwiches and teasing the boys every once in a while about their new found crushes.

Yousef was unsubtly gazing at Sana, who was surrounded up by her own group of friends. She looked contented, dimples blooming to their full effect as she laughed prettily along with the remaining girls.

A pair of girls among them—one red-haired, and the other butter blonde— caught Even’s eye. They were sitting much closer than the rest, giving each other glances that probably weren’t meant for outsiders to see. He looked away, his cheeks heating up slightly, but a smile bloomed on his face nevertheless.

The rest of the time passed away quickly, and they were all just waiting for the bell to ring at any moment now. Even had just two more classes after the break before he was free to go, out in the evening sun, in the red tinted skies.

It was around this time when all of sudden everyone’s attention shifted to the front of the cafeteria, by the wide opened entry doors.

Even looked up curiously, following everyone’s gaze until his eyes perched on the most _astonishingly gorgeous_ boy he had _ever seen_. Even stilled, his heart thumping loudly against his chest.

The boy, in turn, was staring a guy down who was in front of him with his furious, forest green eyes. Time stopped for Even as he gazed at the boy’s intricate, fine curls dipped in a shade of raging fire, his nose flaring up in fury, his cupid bow lips parted as he took rapid breaths. He was bathed in golden sunlight, illuminating him like as if he was an angel straight from the heavens.

But the time certainly didn’t seem to stop for the boy, because the next moment everyone knew, he’d punched the guy straight into his face with his clenched up fist.

A few seconds of dead silence followed in agonising suspense where everyone held their breaths, until all hell broke loose like water breaking out of a dam, and the guy started fighting back, kicking and getting kicked back in return.

Even was tranced, lost in the boy’s intensity, in the fierce energy that he was radiating off so much; he had never seen someone so ethereally beautiful looking while they were in a mid-fight in the middle of a cafeteria where everyone were watching slack-jawed.

The boy couldn’t exactly fight well, Even noticed, he was far less muscular than his rival, but he was using his wits, hitting the weaker spots repeatedly. He looked reckless, careless, sweat beads forming at his crimson forehead as the furious anger struggled to get out, his cheeks flushed up as he kept wrestling, barely thinking of what would happen when all this ended, or what people around would think of him.

By now, so many others had stepped in, trying to stop the fight that was slowly getting out of hand. After a few more painful jabs and clenched fists, the groups on either sides held the two rivals off.

The boy still struggled in those few arms—probably his friends’—fuming, trying to get his hands back on the guy who was more or less doing the same, when, somehow, his dilated pupils landed on Even’s deep, mesmerised blue ones from across the vast room.

They both stilled momentarily, their eyes gazing deeply into each other’s; blue into green, green into blue, as if nothing else existed. Even swore he saw the boy’s raged face change from furious to surprise and curiosity then _shy_ , for a single, earth-shattering, split second moment before he averted his gaze, dropping his shoulders, and giving up the fight with one ferocious cold look at the guy before him; as if just Even’s intense gaze on him alone had made him loose all the bubbling temper inside him.

He walked off to a corner with the people surrounding him, ignoring the rude jabs that the guy was throwing at them from behind. Some were patting his shoulders in concern, some talking to him—probably calming him down, some still glaring at the guy behind, and many, including the boy himself, soothing a girl in the middle who was weeping silently; the same red headed girl that Even had seen before with Sana and her friends. And sure enough, he noticed the long blonde haired girl beside her, whispering into her ear lovingly, patting her back as if saying everything’s gonna be okay.

***********

The silence in the cafeteria was only broken by Julia’s loud, “Do you think he’s okay?” She was staring in the direction of the boy, where he was almost blocked by his friends. Her voice was suspiciously filled with concern. Even narrowed his eyes at her, since when did she start caring about random people fighting around her.

“Why?” Before Even could even stop himself, he blurted out. _Why do you care?_

Sonja turned to look at him sharply, as if he was being a child. “What do you mean why, Even? The kid was in a fight.”

Julia groaned loudly, “Don’t call him a _kid_ , Son! He’s just two years younger than us.”

“Whatever. I don’t have a crush on him, I can call him a kid if I want to” Sonja replied back, a teasing glint in her tone.

Even blinked. What was happening.

The boys were staring wide eyed at the place where the fight had just occurred.

“He’s good at that, isn’t he.” Mikael muttered in awe, gazing at the large group in corner where most of the eyes in cafeteria were trained to. “Can’t believe he just fought off that buff guy, he’s literally twice the size of him.”

“Yeah, makes sense why he’s a footballer.” Adam said. “Why was he fighting though?” A frown appeared on his forehead.

“Apparently that guy, Erik, had insulted a bisexual friend of his’,” Iben, another one of Sonja’s friends spoke, leaning forward on their table. “He called her a slut for wanting to bang both boys and girls, and some other really _disgusting stuff_.” She whispered it like a secret, her eyebrows raised as if she herself couldn’t believe it.

“Ugh, I can’t believe there are still people like that.” Isabel muttered in disgust, the remaining girls hummed in agreement.

Julia still looked concerned, and it was new to Even. “I really hope he is okay...” she mumbled, pursing her lips which were painted in seducing red.

Sonja rolled her eyes fondly. “Come on, he wasn’t even that hurt, Jules. Stop obsessing over your crush.”

Julia rolled her eyes too, flipping her dark hair back and returning her eyes back to the table. “I’m not obsessing.” She muttered.

Even, now gradually realising, slowly looked around the cafeteria, finding many sour faced boys staring at Julia, as if she was being unreasonable, and then at the boy, with deep scowls etched on their faces.

“What was his name again?” Even asked, his heart in his throat, as he kept gazing at the boy who was now smiling a little, mockingly showing off his fresh scars to his friends and probably joking by the look on his face.

“Isak Valtersen.” Mutta replied relaxedly, swinging back and forth on his chair. “Remember the footballer guy we told you about, that’s him.”

And.

_Oh_.

Of course.

Even’s gaze didn’t waver from the boy, from his curls and from his laughs, but he could see Julia doing the same in his peripheral.

He stared. She stared. It sort of felt like a competition between them, which only Even was aware of.

He stared and stared and stared, getting lost in the golden of Isak’s body, until he heard the bell ring loudly throughout the cafeteria, until his friends started getting up, stretching tiredly, until he felt Sonja’s concerned hand on his bicep, until... he just had to look away, and find Julia still gazing at Isak with those smokey eyes of hers, _want_ shining clear in her irises.

Even _had_ to look away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak talks to Even for the first time.

  
The sun was blinding hot. Or maybe it was just because he was sprinting that everything seemed steamy, but Isak wished someone would setup a cooler around somewhere, just in case. 

It was early morning, just past seven. All of the Oslo Vikings team was in the field, doing sprinting drills after twenty minutes of doing intense cardio. Isak was wearing a black tank shirt which was already slightly drenched in sweat. They had to practice after this too.

The coach had started making them do tough training these days, as the match between the Bergen Konger and them was looming closer, just a month away. 

Isak was determined to win it. They could do it, he knew they had enough strength. His dream was to enter the national and international tournaments. He was already longing to become the captain. The current captain was David Holmes, who was going to step down soon from his position after the next three matches. 

It had been a shock when everyone had come to know about it, but it was what it was. Apparently, David’s family was moving away to the states this year, so it was necessary.   
  
  
After the final drill, all of them came to a stop, panting slightly, and wiping the sweat away from their foreheads. The pitch they were in was large, around 110 yards, aligned with fresh looking green grass. 

The whistle from a distance indicated that they had to start the practice. The coach looked not more than thirty five, a black hat on his head, a red Nike dri fit t-shirt with a big yellow whistle dangling across his neck as he waved to them from across the field. 

The match started then, and went on for two long hours. 

Though David was the captain, and had more muscle, Isak was the quickest, and cleverest. It was easier for him to just sprint along the pitch and take the ball away with him quickly. Scoring the goal was second nature to him, so he didn’t really need to care about that. It also gave some time for the rest of his mates to relocate from the positions they were in, to collect themselves together. 

  
Everyone were tired by the end of the match. Isak was heaving, covered in warm sweat as he made his way to the showers, wiping his dripping wet neck and face with a thick fluffy white towel. 

“Great move, man. The one you did at the end.” Christoffer Schistad was saying, walking along beside him. Isak grinned at him. 

“Thanks, man. You did great too.” He nodded, fist bumping him. 

Chris had joined just the last year, but he was really great at goalkeeping, so the coach had to select him as the team’s goalkeeper even though he was so new. They were lucky to have him. 

They walked out of the changing rooms after the showers, and Isak noticed William standing behind the metal fence, scrolling on his phone leisurely. He pushed Chris’s shoulder with a grin. 

“Look, your boyfriend’s waiting for you,” he joked. Chris scoffed in mock offence, pushing him back. “He’s not. Stop it,” he muttered. 

It was an on going inside joke in their team; teasing Chris about William. William waited for Chris after the match every single day like as if he came to collect his boyfriend. And though everyone in the team knew they were both only best friends, and that in fact, William had a crush on Noora, it was just so much fun to tease Chris and watch his pretty face turn red. 

“Anyway, what about you, Isak? I know you have no boyfriend or girlfriend because I see you all the time. When are you going to get one?” Chris asked, sipping on his Gatorade. “Don’t you have so many girls already after you? Why not choose one?” 

Isak bit his lip, thinking back to those pair of blue eyes. He couldn’t quite exactly put a face to them in his mind. Isak had been so caught off guard by those eyes while he was fighting that he hadn’t noticed anything else of that boy. Except that he was probably really beautiful, tall, and had blonde hair.

He sighed dreamily, slightly frustrated that he couldn’t recall the face. “That’s not how it works though. I can’t just choose some girl, Chris. I need to actually have a crush on them.” Which he never used to. Not on girls at least. 

The words, “I’m not gay!!... Okay, maybe I’m a bit gay... .” repeated in his mind somewhere distantly. He had come out in his second year of Nissen, after getting caught by his friends at a party where he had been so drunk that he just had to let go and kiss a guy he thought was cute. It hadn’t registered in his mind at the moment, it had felt so good, so free and fantastic that Isak just didn’t care at the time, and apparently his friends had been watching him amusedly the whole time from behind. The next day morning was followed by anxiety and panic attacks every few minutes, until Eskild had to calm him down and remind him to breath. 

The coming out was more of a debate on sexualities between his friends than a coming out for Isak.

And since then somehow the news spread around that Isak liked both girls and boys. At the time, Isak had genuinely believed it, but somehow the part about him liking girls didn’t fit with him right he realised soon after. Of course, he found them cute, beautiful, but he just couldn’t enjoy kissing them. Maybe he was asexual towards them. 

Or maybe he just was more gay than he thought he was.

  
Chris hummed from beside him, packing up his things. “True. William once said to me that we will know it’s the one when we know we have fallen in love with them.” He said wisely. 

  
Isak snorted. “Wow, I’ve never seen you say something more smarter than this, Chris. Congrats, your boyfriend’s teaching you well.” He smirked, patting Chris’s back. 

“Fuck off.” Chris rolled his eyes, shoving him. They both laughed, and started making their way out of the pitch. 

Chris flipped his sweaty hair stylishly when they both noticed a bunch of first year girls giggling behind the fence. They probably had been watching Isak and his team practice all this time. Isak rolled his eyes to himself. 

*****

  
  
The sneaky green thing crawled along Isak’s shoulder, twisting itself along his upper arm and then slowly sliding down to his inviting palm. 

Isak moved his fingers in a way so that they were tickling the reptile’s chin. He grinned when he saw that his baby snake was enjoying this way too much. Brutus lifted his face up and gazed intently into Isak with his black eyes.   
He was only seven or eight inches right now, and just six months old. Isak had decided to get him right away after he’d seen him in a pet shelter. And at the time Brutus was just the size of Isak’s palm, dazzling with shades of green all around its coily body. Isak adored it. 

Forcing his attention away from it, he looked at his phone which was lighting up with notifications from their group chat. 

* * *

We are Brutus’s allies 🐍

Eva: Isaaaaak 

Evaaaaaa

Vilde: Hi : )

Eva: hey babe 

vilde: <3

Noora: awww you two 

Jo: you both are gross

Eva: no we aren’t. You’re just jealous ; )

ugh 

Mags: I still can’t understand why you named your snake Brutus, Isak

Chris: lol

he is a sneaky conspirator 

that’s why he’s Brutus

Vilde: that’s brutal : ( 

Noora: Such a name for such a cute baby snake : (

don’t be dramatic guys

my snake loves it

Mahdi: I still can’t believe Isak has a snake for a pet

Jo: what are u talking man

Jo: snakes are the coolest pets on earth

true ; )

Eva: ; )

Magnus: anyway

Magnus: Isak, bro, we’re planning to go to KB

Magnus: what do you think?

Yeah sure

Vilde: ??

Noora:????

Jo: is this the real Isak? 

Mahdi: am I dreaming?

Eva: I can’t believe he accepted without any grumpy excuses

I’m not grumpy  
  


Sana: yeah sure, Isabel ; )

Wdym Sanasol

: o

Jo: so let’s meet at KB within an hour

Jo: guys? 

Eva: yeah sure

Chris: done

Mahdi: Issy?

alright

me and Noora will meet up with you guys there

Noora?

Noora: sure! I’ll be at kollektivet in half an hour

Chris: where are you now? 

Noora: me and Eskild are shopping : )

Vilde: cute

Noora: : )

Magnus: yay! Lest meet up at the KB then.

Mahdi: 👍

Magnus: Anyway, guys. Did you hear about Even?! 

Magnus: the new student?

Sana: what about him?

Eva: He’s from America and he’s so cool!

Chris: And so hot too

Vilde: look I found a photo of him on his ig

Eva: Holy shiiit

Vilde: he’s beautiful

Noora: *agrees*

Chris: 👀

Magnus: he’s cool, isn’t he? And he makes cool videos too! On his channel art vandeley

Jo: how do you know him, Mags?

Magnus: he’s in my class. He’s so talented guys. He knows so many things about movies!

* * *

Isak stared at his phone, stunned. He knew this was the same boy he had seen in the cafeteria the other day. _Holy shit._

Even looked so hot. Isak couldn’t believe he had made eye contact with him for almost a minute. _Eye-contact._ Isak trailed his eyes all around the photo, taking him all in. 

He blushed to himself. Even must have seen him fight Erik in the cafeteria. Isak hoped he hadn’t looked stupid while he was fighting. Or else.... that’d be a great first impression. Ugh.

* * *

Magnus: I’m trying to get Even to teach me everything guys

Magnus: I am gonna be cool like him too

that’s impossible

Mahdi: Yep never gonna happen, Mags

Jo: true Mags

Noora: stop trying to get his self esteem down, guys

Eva: Noora, they were probably just joking :p

Noora: whatever. You have to respect everyone.

Magnus: Noora, you’re the best : )  
  


....

So, what’s Even’s channel name again?  
  


Magnus: Art Vandeley!

Eva: Isak? ; ) 

What?

; ) 

...

Jo: ?

Mahdi: ???

* * *

Isak exited the group chat and searched for Art Vandeley on YouTube with a smile. It was always Eva who suspected him first. 

The channel had almost a million subs, so Even must be quite famous. There were so many videos: videos uploaded from when Even was still in America, talking English fluently, videos of him with his friends, videos of him at some parties, some short movies, directing stuff and tips, some movie conspiracy theories. 

Even was charming and goofy in all of them, joking around with his friends. _He’s really beautiful_ Isak couldn’t help but think to himself again. His voice was ocean deep, and it just gave Isak goosebumps.   
  
Isak probably had never been this transfixed by someone as he was with Even right now. Not even during the time when he had come out and found out that Alex, his hot chemistry partner at the time, was bisexual. They had dated for like a month until Alex moved away to Bergen. They were still in touch, only as friends though. Alex had a girlfriend now, and Isak was happy with his life.

He turned his phone off and leaned back against the bed. 

Brutus was napping peacefully, coiled around Isak’s stomach. Isak stroked its head affectionately, it hissed softly in response. Isak’s room wasn’t much different than the time before he had come out, except there were several hot male models posters, a big rainbow sticker on his door, and a cosy huge basket for Brutus to sleep in.   
  
It was probably just another shared flat for everyone, but for him it was a home. He had been living here since he was sixteen— when he was all alone and sad, and now he was nineteen, happy, out and with his own little family. 

****** 

They were all in KB, huddled together cosily. Isak had ordered himself an iced caramel macchiato. He was still feeling a little hot, and a cup of iced coffee might cool him down. Eva took everyone’s orders eagerly and went up to the counter, a smudge of lipstick visible on her cheek where Vilde had kissed her. 

The vehicles whizzed past by on the road from behind the large windows where they were sitting by, honking intensely. Lots of people were walking outside on the pavements, busy in their own works, living their own lives. The shops around the city were open, lighted up and brimming with various things. 

“Guys, you have no idea who I met yesterday.” Magnus started, looking excited to launch into his story when Eva returned back. Not even three minutes had passed and Magnus had already started. 

“No” said everyone in unison, shaking their heads. Once Magnus started, he’d never stop. 

“No? Don’t say no. C’mon guys.” Magnus said, looking offended. 

“No, Mags. Just straight up, No.” Jonas shook his head, biting on his burger. His skateboard standing right beside his chair. He and the rest of the boys had gone to the rink to watch Jonas skateboard before making their way to here. 

“Pfft. It’s not about me anyway, I was going to talk about Isak.” Magnus muttered, pretending to ignore everyone when none of them even cared. 

Isak frowned. “Me? You were talking that excitedly about meeting me yesterday? Mags, since when did you become a fanboy?” 

Magnus flipped him off. “It’s about Julia, guys. The hot third year. Apparently she has a crush on Isak. Remember her?” He asked, looking around eagerly. 

“No way! You’re kidding,” Mahdi blurted out in disbelief. 

  
“Wait, isn’t she the daughter of some rich businessman or something. She’s really popular at Uni.” Eva said, nodding. She was almost sitting on Vilde’s lap. 

“Yes, and she’s really beautiful too.” Vilde agreed. Eva turned to her with a dopey smile. “More than me?” 

“Nope. No one’s more beautiful than you, babe,” Vilde murmured, kissing her girlfriend’s cheek. 

“You both are so cute.” Said Noora at the same time as Sana said, “you both are so gross,” 

  
“So yeah, how do you know Julia has a crush on Isak?” Jonas asked Magnus, frowning. “She doesn’t even know you dude.” 

Magnus cleared his throat. “From the dance chicks.” He replied smugly. “I overheard them talking about it yesterday.”

“Woah... Really?” Mahdi asked again. “On Isak?” He said in disbelief. 

Isak scoffed. “What do you mean by ‘On Isak’? You don’t think I’m cool enough for that?” 

“Definitely not” Mags and Mahdi replied together, just as Jonas said, “definitely yes” Isak high fived his best friend. Jonas was the best. 

“I don’t think it’s a surprise.” Jonas said, looking thoughtful. “Issy’s a footballer, and he’s popular too, so I guess it makes sense. I mean, look how many girls try to flirt with him at every party and he turns almost every single one of them down.” He said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“True. If I was him, oh man, I would bang every single one—” 

“No Mags!” Everyone around the table shut Magnus down once again, earning a few glares from around the other customers. 

“Ugh. Whatever.” Mags rolled his eyes. “So, Isak are you gonna make a move on her, man?” He asked instead. 

Isak frowned. “Why would I make a move on her, Mags?Who said anything about me having a crush on her?” 

He knew who Julia was. He had seen her around the uni staring at him greedily. It used to make him feel a bit weird. Why was she watching him like that. Sure, she was really pretty and popular but there was nothing more to it than that. 

“What do you mean? It’s Julia, Isak. She’s— she’s this goddess. You just can’t not have a crush on her.” Mags said dreamily. 

“Isak. I’m sure almost every boy in uni wants to get noticed by her. How can you not have a crush?” Mahdi was asking, looking outraged. “I’d give anything to be in your place, man.” The girls groaned in unison at that. 

“A bunch of simps” Chris muttered, watching Magnus and Mahdi while sucking her ice cream spoon. 

Isak shook his head. “I don’t know, guys. Her name reminds me of Julian. That annoying bench mate in my Physics class. He eats my brain.” He groaned, thinking of Julian Dahl. Julian really was a nightmare. 

“What does name have to do with anything now?” Eva frowned at him. “C’mon, you can’t be one of those people.” She accused. 

“One of those people?” Isak said confusedly, before rolling his eyes. “Whatever. I am just not interested in her, guys.” He said flatly to everyone. He was tired of it. 

Mahdi and Magnus sighed, in unison. But Eva was gazing at Isak suspiciously. 

“Do you perhaps have a crush on someone else, Isak?” Eva asked, smirking, raising a prominent eyebrow.

“What? No.” Isak coughed into his fist, feeling nervous. “I don’t have a crush on anyone.”   
  
“Is it a boy?” Jonas asked, leaning in, looking concerned. “Issy, you know we are here for you. And we support you. If it is a boy that you have a crush on then you can tell us, alright?” He said softly. 

Isak pursed his lips. Even materialised in his mind all of a sudden, piercing him with his blue eyes. God. “No, nothing like that.” He lied. He knew his friends had no problem with him being into guys. They were the best people in the world, but this was entirely another thing. Isak wasn’t even sure about his feelings himself. And he had never even _talked_ to Even. 

“I am just not interested in anyone right now.” Isak averted his gaze to the ground. 

Jonas stared at him for a few seconds until he looked like he’d decided to believe in Isak. “Alright, I believe you.” He leaned back again, the frown disappearing from his forehead. 

  
Isak sighed in relief. 

The topic around them then moved on to capitalism and lgbtq rights. Jonas ranted about how McDonald’s was a capitalist fast food chain that manipulated everyone’s brains while Vilde told everyone about how she and Eva met while her girlfriend adoringly gazed at her. 

“It was at this party, I think it was hosted by William Magnusson?” She asked, looking at Noora who blushed a bright red as she nodded. Though Noora always claimed that she wasn’t fond of William, everyone knew she had a huge crush on him, just like William had on her. 

“Yeah, so I was trying to hit on some third year boy I wasn’t even interested in. I just wanted to know what sex felt like,” Vilde continued. “But then Eva came in, all drunk and tipsy, and I remember thinking to myself, ‘oh my god, she looks so beautiful! I want to kiss her.’” 

A series of Aww’s circled around their table. 

“That’s so sweet.” Chris said. “What happened then? Did you both bang?” 

“What? No,” Vilde laughed nervously. “Then Eva came to me and she started telling me that I was so pretty and that she wanted to kiss me. She was so drunk. Somehow at some point we both started kissing each other. And that’s how I knew I was into girls, because I’d never felt anything like that before when I kissed a boy.” She shrugged, smiling.  
  
“And the next week we both got together, didn’t we, babe?” Eva asked, getting a nod from her girlfriend. 

Everyone aww’d again, smiling at them. Isak winked at Vilde. Though sometimes he found Vilde annoying, he knew how much she had to go through to be here right now. He was really happy for her. 

  
.

  
“Faggot party is going on, I see.” Someone interrupted them. They all looked around to find Erik and his stupid   
friends smirking at them creepily. “I could smell it from a mile away.” Erik said, holding his nose in mock disgust from where he was standing by their table. 

Isak’s fist closed up tightly, he wished he could just punch Erik’s face out. 

“I don’t know why you hang out with these kind, Jonas. I thought you were a smart guy.” Erik said, looking at Jonas, gesturing to Isak, Eva and Vilde. His dark hair was styled up into spikes, while his arms and neck were covered in rebellious tattoos, he looked dumb. 

“I know I’m smart enough not to hang out with you kind at least.” Jonas replied coolly. “I’m happy with my people.” 

Erik’s face twisted into disgust again. What a loser. 

Isak smiled at Jonas gratefully, patting his thigh under the table.

“Of course, you are. They are going to turn you into a faggot too, just watch.” Erik muttered with a twist of lips. His friends laughed cruelly from behind him in fake synchrony. 

It has been a week since the fight. And since then ten complaints were filed against Isak—for breaching the peacefulness of the cafeteria—, several phone calls to his dad—“please keep your son under control”— as if he was twelve and back in sixth grade. Isak couldn’t believe it, he wasn’t a child! But he was glad at least Erik had received much worse punishment than that. Erik was suspended from school for two whole months.   
.

  
“What a prick you are.” Noora said suddenly, standing up. She was facing Erik, looking disgusted by him. Isak widened his eyes. What was she doing? 

Erik stared at her with a frown. “Huh?” 

“Why so bitter? Can’t enjoy seeing people living happily?” Noora continued. “Did your girlfriend dump your unworthy ass or....did you just realise that this is the real world and that you’ve been dreaming till now in your own toxic heterosexual world? Whatever it is, you’ve gotta stop being like this. Grow up and shake everyone’s hands in peace like an adult, dude.” She said, and with a smug glare she turned her face away from him and his friends, looking like a badass. 

Isak let out a chuckle in surprise.

“Oh my god that was so cool, Noora.” All the girls clapped her back, while the boys were gaping, impressed. They hadn’t expected Noora to go off like that. _Woah_

Erik meanwhile was staring at them all with narrowed eyes. Poor guy couldn’t accept his defeat.   
  
“Fuck off. Ya’ll I’m never going to shake my hands with this fag in my whole life.” He said, staring right at Isak. “Wonder how many dicks has that hand touched.” He spat in disgust, staring at Isak’s hand that was resting on the table. His friends nodded in agreement. 

Isak rolled his eyes. “But you’ve no problem shaking hands with your stupid friends every day, isn’t it?” He asked, gesturing to them. “I’m sure their hands and their dicks have lots of action. Every single night. Cause they’re such losers that they can’t take anyone home.” 

Erik’s face was a piece to behold. “Fuck you, faggot.” He muttered. 

“Uhh.. I didn’t know you were into me, Erik. That’s great.” Isak countered back, nodding. 

Erik flipped him off. “You shouldn’t even be speaking. Such a shame you are all.” He yelled, his anger exploding out. Probably because he realised he was losing the fight. The people around were all watching them. Watching the drama. 

Isak gritted his teeth. “Not more than you at least. I remember the time your pants fell off in the PG. Wasn’t that a good time?”

“Shut up. Who cares? I almost got your face last week in our fight. You’re so lam—“

“—Fucking loser. Everyone knows who won—“ Isak almost got out of his chair, trying to kick Erik and his ridiculous face.   
  
“—Issy, stop! He’s not worth it!” The girls yelled, while the boys were trying to stop him, dragging him back to the chair. Isak wanted to kill him. 

“Bro, just go away. Please.” Jonas told Erik with a finality, frowning. 

“Pfft. I don’t even wanna waste my time here with these faggots. Let’s go guys.” Erik muttered finally, turning his face away and stalking off with his friends. 

“And nobody wants you here. Enjoy spending these two months locked up in your house, loser.” Isak yelled back from his seat, fuming. God, why were there people like these? Ugh. 

“Oh my god, he’s such an asshole!” Eva said in disbelief. 

“Ugh, I can’t believe some people.” Sana muttered, while the rest nodded, agreeing. 

Isak knew his face was red, the skin along the side of his palm was imprinted with half moons from all the fist clenching he had done. He was still fuming. 

Someone had to report a Erik, that was for sure. He couldn’t be allowed to live like this. Isak wondered how many more people’s days were ruined because of people like him. Just because of their stupid self-entitled opinions. Ugh. 

“Way to ruin a happy Sunday morning.” Chris said, shaking her head. 

“I’m sure he started going off when he realised he wasn’t going to win. Those were some smart comebacks, Issy.” Jonas said, patting Isak’s back. Isak shrugged, “whatever”

He was still pissed off. 

  
He looked back down at the table to find his drink to cool himself down, and instead found a cup of latte with a love heart on it. A smiley was drawn on one side of the cup.   
  
Isak stared at it. He remembered having specifically ordering an iced drink, and instead he received a _steaming hot_ cup of latte, with a _love heart_ on it? _And a smiley_?! 

_Seriously_? How was he gonna drink something this hot when he himself was _fuming_. 

  
Fuck the barista. Fuck everything. Isak got up from his chair, sliding it back. All his friends watched him. 

“Isak wha—“

“I’m gonna go return this damn thing back to whoever made this.” Isak said. He knew he was still angry and wasn’t being fair at all, but fuck him. He was having a shitty day because of some shitty asshole, and also, he hadn’t ordered this, excuse him. So if there was anyone’s mistake here, it was the barista’s. “I didn’t ask for this, so I’m gonna give this back.” He said, and turned around to storm off dramatically, but instead, he collided into someone really tall and made them both fall to the ground with a loud thud.

Ouch. 

Luckily, Isak didn’t hit his head, instead he seemed to be lying on something soft and warm. 

“Um.. are you okay?” A really deep, beautiful voice spoke from beneath. Isak was lying on top of someone. He raised his head and looked into the person’s face, ready to apologise. 

  
And. 

  
_Oh._

  
  
“ _Hi_ ” he squeaked in surprise. 

Even, who had been watching him amusedly this whole time, let out a cute chuckle. The sound rumbled through Isak’s chest. They were both still on top of each other, their faces mere inches away and their warm breaths ghosting each others’ faces. Isak resisted himself from staring at Even’s lips. 

“Halla” Even said, smiling widely. Isak smiled back, blushing hugely. There were butterflies in his stomach, and he just couldn’t stop smiling stupidly. He averted his gaze from Even’s eyes, landing them on his chest instead. 

Which.. was a mistake. 

Even’s shirt was pulled onto one side because of them on top of each other, his chest fully exposed, smooth soft skin stretching along from his neck to his diaphragm, tiny dark moles lined across his chest. Isak wanted to slide his fingers on them. His prominent collarbones looked so inviting that he couldn’t resist licking his lips unconsciously. 

  
“Um.. so,” Even started. “I think one of us should get up?” He asked, gesturing to their tangled limbs. “I mean I wouldn’t mind staying here for some more while....but I don’t know about you, so..” he looked at Isak meaningfully. 

“Oh, um, yeah. Um, sorry.” Isak lifted himself up from where he was lying on Even’s chest, blushing again in embarrassment. Even probably knew that he was blushing, his cheeks were super red. 

Even followed soon after, dusting his pants up. Isak noticed a black apron tied around his waist. Did he... work here?

“Hi, I’m Even,” Even introduced himself with a beam, holding his hand out. As if Isak didn’t know. 

“Isak” Isak shook it, nodding. “Isak Valtersen.”

“Hi Isak,” Even grinned. They both stared at each other for a few moments, Isak blushing furiously all the while, until Even decided to speak finally. “So, I heard you wanted to return your order.” He said, looking apologetic. “I’m really sorry that it’s not what you wanted-.” He said. 

“—uh Isak, it was me.” Eva interrupted him from behind. “I ordered it for you, by mistake, sorry.” She apologised, looking back at Even. “Hi Even, my name’s Eva.” She introduced herself with a beam. “Could you please get Isak an _iced_ caramel macchiato. He’s a bratty kid, he wants what he wants.” She grinned at him. 

Even smiled back, nodding. “Yeah sure. Do you want to come and get it?” He asked Isak who was watching the conversation till now. 

And of course. Fuck him. Even was the barista here, and he had drawn that smiley on Isak’s cup. Ugh, Isak was so stupid.

“Er- yeah.” Isak said, then followed Even back to the counter silently, keeping his eyes up and not letting them trail down sneakily. Now he _really_ didn’t want to return his drink back. 

With a wink at Isak, Even went behind the counter and started working, he looked so professional, doing everything with ease. Isak’s eyes lingered on his face for a while, taking him all in as his heart raced in his chest. Even’s cheekbones were perfect, and so was his sharp jawline— it looked like it could cut a fruit into two slices. 

Isak watched Even grab a cup, the KB logo printed on it. He got lost in his blue eyes again, they were so bright, and blue, like a vast and clear ocean. Isak wanted to swim in them. 

When Even looked back at him, he was caught off guard. Isak shook his head, getting himself out of daze. 

“So, you’re a first year?” Even asked, raising his eyebrows, while the cup filled up. He leaned against the counter, gazing at Isak. Isak could feel his friends boring their eyes into him from behind the back. 

“Yeah, I am. Uh, I study biochem.” Isak said, rubbing his neck. 

Even raised his eyebrows. “Wow. That’s cool, so you must be smart.” He said with a grin. Isak chuckled. 

“Uh yeah, I guess” He mumbled, averting his gaze down to the table, blushing. 

“Nice conversation,” Even joked a moment later, chuckling when he noticed Isak was not going to say anything more. Isak pursed his lips, trying to say something, but his lips refused. 

“I do media studies, by the way.” Even continued the conversation, his eyes on Isak as he made his drink. 

“Oh.. okay” Isak nodded. He already knew it. 

“It’s a cool subject actually, but because the students have to get naked as a part of their course, no one really takes it,” Even said. “They think it’s embarrassing or something.” He shrugged. 

Isak stared at him, gaping. _What?_

“You don’t believe me?” Even asked, raising an eyebrow. “Trust me, it’s true. There’s a section in our course completely about nude art, and every single one of us has to get naked during that.” He said, looking serious. “I’ve gotten naked at least seven times since my first year.” He shrugged. 

Isak widened his eyes. 

“No?!” He said. What the hell? 

Wasn’t nude art related to... arts or some shit? Since when was it a part of _media studies?_

Even nodded. “Yes. It’s true. It gets frustrating sometimes. But as you keep practising, it becomes a habit.” He said. “Now being naked is second nature to me. I don’t even blink when anyone asks me to get naked.” 

Isak was still, gaping at Even. He had to be joking. There was no way this could be true.... right? 

“You’re kidding?” He asked. 

Even chuckled at that. But he didn’t deny. 

“It was all a joke?” Isak asked in disbelief while Even laughed more, nodding vigorously. Holy shit. 

  
“Oh my god” Isak groaned, rolling his eyes. “You’re so bad at joking.” He accused with a smile. 

“Excuse you. I almost made you believe me.” Even said, clutching his heart in mock offence. Isak shook his head. 

“No, you didn’t.” Isak mumbled. Even laughed at that, a loud deep laugh. It made Isak smile wider. This boy was ridiculous.

“So...here’s your drink.” Even gestured to it. Isak noticed another smiley on the cup beside Isak’s name. “I’ll remember never to get you a hot drink from now on.” He joked, grinning. Isak bit his lip. Of course Even had heard him complain about his order dramatically. Great. 

“Thanks” Isak said, taking his cup, and sipping. It tasted _so good_ , and the fact that Even made it for him, made it only much better. Isak watched Even watch him drink. He was still leaning against the counter, towards Isak, hands on the counter. Isak noticed the black apron around him, and that’s when he realised that he had seen Even in this apron before, in the picture that Vilde had sent in the group chat. How could he have forgetten that? He had been so into Even, that he hadn’t noticed the background or anything else. That picture must’ve been taken here at KB. 

  
“—Issy” His friends interrupted them from behind then. They were already standing up, ready to leave. Isak nodded to them once before turning back to Even with an apologetic look.   
  
“Um, I have to go.” He said, gesturing to his friends. He really didn’t want to leave. 

Even nodded. “Sure. I’ll see you around Uni, then.” He leaned back from the counter with a smile, and Isak immediately missed his proximity. “Bye Isak” 

With one last glance at Even, Isak turned back and joined his friends unwillingly, walking out of the KB with his drink in his hand. His mind floating dizzily.   
.

  
“What were you both talking about?” Magnus asked, once they stepped out. “You were laughing a lot.” 

“Yeah. I have never seen him smile this much, that too right after a fight.” Jonas said, squinting at Isak. 

“We were just talking about school and our courses that’s all.” Isak mumbled, sipping on his drink. 

“Smiling that much?” Eva looked at him in suspicion. 

“Relax. He’d just joked about my order, that’s all.” Isak muttered. Sometimes he just couldn’t handle his friends interrogations. 

“Whatever.. but he is so tall, isn’t he?” Vilde said dreamily. 

“And really hot too.” Chris agreed, nodding, walking alongside Sana, who had her dark sunglasses on as she walked bossily. 

They weren’t wrong. Even was really hot. 

“By the way, didn’t he put a love heart on your latte, Isak?” Noora asked, her eyes lighting up. Her short blonde hair was falling into her eyes as the warm air blew in their direction. 

They were walking alongside the pavements, amidst the crowd of people, surpassing shops and restaurants with no particular aim as to where they were heading to next. It was almost noon, warm with sunlight right above their heads. 

“I heard when a barista gives you a love heart, it means that they fancy you.” She smiled. 

Isak widened his eyes, coughing into his fist. Excuse me, What?

Vilde squealed, and Isak had to shield his ears. “Oh my god, yes, I heard about it. Does that mean Even fancies Isak?” 

All of them looked at him. 

“I mean, people just don’t put hearts on everyone’s drinks, do they?” Eva asked, looking at Isak suggestively with a smirk. 

Isak blushed. “No. That’s probably just a myth.” He said, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach. Could it be true? 

Magnus was frowning at them all meanwhile. “Guys, Even has a girlfriend. Didn’t you know?” He asked. 

Everyone almost stopped in their tracks, and Isak’s heart did a double tale. _No.  
  
_

_“_ Of course, he does. Don’t you all know?” Sana asked them all with a frown, pausing and turning around to them. She lowered her sun glasses. “Her name’s Sonja. They both got together just three months ago.” She shrugged.   
  


Isak was still. His hopes were crumbling inside. Of course, how could someone that hot be single? And besides, Even could be straight for all he knew. Isak wanted to laugh, why had he let himself hope? God, he was so stupid. 

“No, really?” Eva said. She looked so sad, as if it was her heart that got broken, and not Isak’s. Vilde giggled and wrapped an arm around her. “Oh my god, you’re so dramactic. C’mon now.” 

Eva gave her a peck, smiling again and giving Isak a sad look. “Aww Issy. Don’t worry you’ll find someone else.” She said, smiling again hopefully. 

Isak scoffed. “The hell? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He muttered. 

”Wait, did Isak have a crush on Even? Am I missing something?” Jonas asked, frowning.   
  


“No, bro. Just Eva assuming everything in her head. That’s what happened.” Isak tried to joke, smiling faintly. Eva scoffed. “Excuse me, I was just trying to pair you and Even up since I thought he was single.” She shrugged.   
  


“Well, whatever. So, guys let’s all meet tomorrow at school?” Magnus said, checking Isak’s watch since his was broken.

Everyone nodded, then bid goodbyes, high-fiving everyone, and then walked their own separate ways. Noora and Isak took the tram back home. It was exactly noon.   
  


Isak was still sad when he entered kollektivet, greeting a cheerful Eskild with a tired ‘hey’ as he slumped into his bed. Even Brutus was pissed off by Isak’s moodiness. Great. 

Isak couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t understand why he was this sad when he didn’t even know Even properly. He had only talked to him for like ten minutes, but the fact that he had girlfriend was making him this heartbroken. Why had he let his hopes up? Ugh, he was hopeless. 

Isak groaned to himself. Fuck everything. He rolled around and grabbed his phone, turning it on, deciding to just spend his day watching some random videos. And that’s when he noticed a notification waiting for him on the lock screen:   
  


_Even Bech Næsheim has started following you on Instagram._

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it. Have a great day!


End file.
